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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-38973

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its decision to not proceed with plans to create a Galloway National Park, whether it will reconsider its position on carrying out an independent review of the economic impact of Scotland’s national parks on businesses and industries within national parks.

There are no current plans for the Scottish Government to conduct an independent review of the two existing National Parks in Scotland, as we consider there are already adequate accountability mechanisms in place. As set out in their underpinning legislation, National Parks are accountable to their boards and to the Scottish Government. They are required to produce a five year National Park Partnership Plan and their Corporate Plans are aligned to these. These Plans, including the aims and objectives within them, are signed off by Ministers.

Delivery is monitored and reviewed at regular meetings between the Scottish Government and National Park authority Convenors and Chief Executives. Park authorities are also required to report on their delivery and performance through their Annual Report and Accounts, which are laid before Parliament and published.

The Scottish Parliament can also scrutinise the Parks’ performance directly, as it can for all public sector bodies.

Question reference: S6W-38972

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason public sector bodies, like national park authorities, reportedly do not need to publish any cost-benefit analyses of their spending decisions.

All public bodies in Scotland, including National Parks are required to demonstrate value for money in the discharge of their functions via compliance with the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) and Accountable Officer (AO) Framework. The use/publication of cost-benefit analysis as a tools to support and inform spending decisions is an operational matter for individual organisations to consider with the overarching financial framework of governance and accountability set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM).

Question reference: S6W-38788

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it (a) has spent to date and (b) is projected to spend in total on implementing the national strategy for 20mph speed limits.

Question reference: S6W-38368

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37499 by Jenni Minto on 27 May 2025, for what reason (a) the Sanofy VidPrevtyn COVID-19 vaccine has reportedly been withdrawn from the 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme and (b) a vaccine for people allergic to trometamol has reportedly not been made available.

Sanofi’s VidPrevtyn has not been used in the Scottish Vaccination Programme since winter 2023-24, and is no longer available in the UK. The withdrawal was at the request of the marketing authorisation holder, Sanofi Pasteur, which notified the European Commission of its decision to permanently discontinue the marketing of the product for commercial reasons.

It remains Scottish Government policy that Health Boards must make non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines available to those individuals who are contraindicated to, or allergic to, mRNA vaccines. However, trometamol is used in the manufacture of some vaccines, including the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and at present there are no non-mRNA products authorised for use in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) available for purchase. Health Boards have contacted all individuals affected to explain the situation.

National Services Scotland (NSS) National Procurement team will continue to monitor the non-mRNA market position to see if any non-mRNA options become available for future COVID-19 vaccination programmes.

Question reference: S6W-37404

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 13 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with the National Fire Chiefs Council regarding reports of fires at battery energy storage system sites in Scotland.

The Scottish Government regularly discusses a wide range of fire safety topics with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) including battery energy storage system (BESS) sites.

SFRS is a member of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and has access to the wide range of fire and rescue research, guidance and expertise provided by the NFCC. The Scottish Fire and Rescue service provides advice to the Scottish Government on fire safety matters.

There was no communication between the Scottish Government and the NFCC regarding the single recorded incident at a BESS site in Scotland. This incident involved a battery unit which was damaged in transit and was not yet installed. There were no casualties.

Question reference: S6O-04778

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the impact of its budget settlement for Aberdeenshire Council in 2025-26 on the local authority’s ability to deliver local services.

Question reference: S6O-04756

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the children's minister last met with Aberdeenshire Council to discuss nursery closures.

Question reference: S6W-36939

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Electricity Act 1989, whether statutory consultees on section 36 and section 37 planning applications should receive a copy of any (a) gate check and (b) other reports submitted by the applicant.

As part of the process to determine applications made under Section 36 and 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, consultees are asked by the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) to provide comment on the contents of gate checks. The purpose of a gate check is to set out how comments made by consultees and Scottish Ministers in the scoping opinion are to be addressed by the applicant and taken forward in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, should an application be submitted. Application documents, including EIA reports, are publicly available on the ECU portal: https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationSearch.aspx

Question reference: S6W-37499

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what COVID-19 vaccines are available for those who are immunocompromised and have a respiratory illness, in light of reports that VidPrevtyn, manufactured by Sanofi Paseur, is no longer available.

All those aged 6 months and over, who are immunosuppressed, are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine this spring, along with all those aged 75 and over, and residents in care homes for older adults.

Those who are immunosuppressed cannot receive what are called live attenuated vaccines, but none of the four COVID-19 mRNA vaccine products in use during the spring 2025 programme (Moderna Spikevax JN.1, Pfizer Comirnaty JN.1 Adult, Paediatric and Infant formulations) are live attenuated vaccines and therefore immunosuppressed individuals can safely receive all four of them. Leaflets about the COVID-19 vaccines offered during spring 2025 are available on NHS inform.

Question reference: S6W-37596

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide resources to support local authorities to develop a renewable energy mapping tool, enabling residents to understand the cumulative impact of proposed renewable projects across their local authority.

We have taken forward a package of changes to planning fees to better resource the system, however it is a matter for local authorities to determine how their financial resources are allocated based on their priorities. Planning authorities are nevertheless required by legislation to keep a public register of live and determined planning applications for development in their areas, and we welcome where certain planning authorities and developers have already developed renewable energy mapping tools as a complement to this.